MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller recently interviewed Cryptic's Bill roper about Star Trek Online, Champions and the future for Cryptic Studios.

MMORPG.com:

Cryptic is fresh off the heels of Champions Online and Star Trek Online, do you have plans to continue with patches and expansions for these franchises?

Bill Roper:

Absolutely! We have very dedicated and zealous communities for both games that are excited by the updates and ongoing content we’re providing. Champions Online has the Super Power Patch currently in test which addresses numerous game play and balance concerns with the Melee and Supernatural Set, as well as some quality of life fixes to several missions, the Tailor, and overall UI. Star Trek has just launched the Season 1.1 update which adds a difficulty slider and injury system for advanced players, an optional auto-fire system, and new high-end ship weaponry. More updates and content is planned for the upcoming weeks and months, and the vast majority of what we’re doing is being driven by player desires and feedback.

Read the Roper Update Interview.

"More updates and content is planned for the upcoming weeks and months, and the vast majority of what we’re doing is being driven by player subscription numbers falling off a cliff."

Fixed.

STO is CO with a trek skin, therefore subs are going into free fall by now as the miniscule content that was there is no longer enough to support enough players. The deception clear for all to see and Bill decides to try and put something in there to justify a sub to a trek MMORPG, too little too late me thinks Bill!

Originally posted by Agricola1

"More updates and content is planned for the upcoming weeks and months, and the vast majority of what we’re doing is being driven by player subscription numbers falling off a cliff."

Fixed.

STO is CO with a trek skin, therefore subs are going into free fall by now as the miniscule content that was there is no longer enough to support enough players. The deception clear for all to see and Bill decides to try and put something in there to justify a sub to a trek MMORPG, too little too late me thinks Bill!

 

 Contents over rated.. obviously no one truly cares about it or the MMO developers would make some. They all have stated many times they listen to their community and make changes or place additions to increase the consumer enjoyment! So obviously no one likes content or requests it... Duh

I remember I was excited about Champions but when I played it just didn't work out. Has the game improved any since launch ?

I got tired of companies like this back in EQ1 over 7 years ago.  They talk about whats coming more then actually producing anything tangible and continually carrot dangle the sub base.  How bout the fact that most of what is coming or came just after launch SHOULD of been in at launch in the first place. 

I like the bit about "I think it's probably time to add some of the amazing things we've generated over the past several months to fuel more speculation as to what we may be doing next!"

Go, hype train, go.  Bring us more investors!

I think people are going to pleased and a bit surprised with what we're doing in terms of the game, how we make it, and even how we sell and support it.

= FTP

 Personally I haven't seen much degradation of traffic in STO. My guild keeps growing and I never have much of a issue getting a pvp match or a team for a pve misson. Perhaps in the higher end teirs I've seen some shifts in population but that seems fairly irregular at best. 

  I do however think they will have to keep making changes to keep what people are in the game and we all realize that. As does Roper.*Shrug* I have no plans to leave any time soon though.

Someone PM me when STO goes F2P because no way will i pay 15 a month to do nothing.

Is it just me, or does Roper's picture have him looking like the villain he truly is?

Also:

"While the casual game space that is attracting a lot of players via social outlets like Facebook are definitely interesting on many levels (I play a few myself), that style of game doesn't fit well with Cryptic's core INcompetencies"

I can't imagine how horrible a Forgotten Realms MMO would be if produced by Cryptic.   Certainly can't say much about their current games, pretty much no content.

is bill roper actually on the same planet?

Rant alert:

I am so tired of people bashing Bill Roper, I find it ironic that people bash him and praise Pos for what is happening in CO all the while the Supernatural, and Might changes, Vibora Bay all started when Bill Roper was in charge of development. Pos' creativty and knowledge will be in full control of the next adventure pack.

Also why are people bashing Roper for what happened to STO he was working on Champions Online. That was not his cluster****.

Another Cryptic MMO on the way? Ill definately be buying that.

/sarcasm.

People 'hate' on Roper because hes the face of the company. If he werent so obsessed with being a rockstar developer, then nobody would mention him.

I saw the title and thought....Hmm the comments will be nothing but bitching about Roper, STO, CO, Cryptic. And what do I find, 2 pages of exactly that. 

Interesting to see exactly what's next from cryptic ~ it's their business to run, if some don't like it good for them, I'll keep an open mind and see when it comes.

How can they even talk about the Champions IP when they took the PnP setting and ran it over with a mulching lawnmower? It doesn't even use the Hero system and half the characters are virtually unrecognizable.

Bad interview, it doesn't ask any difficult questions and all of them allowed the guy to respond in platitudes, so basically nothing was accomplished and there were no answers I couldn't have imagined the answers to myself.

The entire read was a bit boring until I hit the bit about DnD: Forgotten Realms. Please God tell me that Cryptic doesn't have DnD rights.

Bill Roper , took a game that was impossible to fail with : Hellgate London

And he did unthinkable, he ruined it. And he ruined it so much that his company even lost rights to the game. They didnt just bankrupt.

And again - HGL was a sure shot. It was like Having Michael Jordan play for your highschool team , and than loosing the game.

So yes, People tend to associate Bill Roper name with failure

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Bill Roper , took a game that was impossible to fail with : Hellgate London

And he did unthinkable, he ruined it. And he ruined it so much that his company even lost rights to the game. They didnt just bankrupt.

And again - HGL was a sure shot. It was like Having Michael Jordan play for your highschool team , and than loosing the game.

 

So yes, People tend to associate Bill Roper name with failure

 

He sucks at Management that is for sure, but failure not by a long shot.

Also of course he is the face of the company he is Bill Roper he was behind some of the gaming worlds masterpieces such as Diablo, and StarCraft. After that he doesn't even need to try and be a rockstar developer, he became one overnight.

EDIT: I hate the new comment system on this site, stick to forum.